Anthony Adejuwon’s professional trajectory represents a calculated pivot from the tangible world of urban planning to the increasingly critical sphere of civic technology. A second-time founder, Adejuwon transitioned from a career in construction and infrastructure consultancy to establish Urban Alert, a non-profit organization dedicated to democratizing access to information within Nigeria’s opaque mining and mineral sector. His latest innovation, Minetrix AI, serves as a bridge between complex government regulatory data and the citizens, investors, and community leaders who require it for informed decision-making.

From Urban Planning to Digital Advocacy

Adejuwon’s fascination with technology traces back to the early 2000s, an era defined by the rise of cybercafés and the nascent adoption of digital communication. While his academic background at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Ogbomoso focused on Urban and Regional Planning, he found that the discipline’s reliance on geospatial analysis, satellite imagery, and data modeling necessitated a deep integration with technology.

By 2012, while still an undergraduate, Adejuwon exhibited a penchant for entrepreneurship, bypassing traditional job-seeking channels to register his first consultancy firm. For years, he operated within the built environment, managing construction projects and urban development plans. However, the 2019 transition marked a definitive departure from for-profit consultancy toward civic-driven impact. Completing a postgraduate diploma in technology management, he began laying the groundwork for what would become Urban Alert in 2020. This shift was motivated by a desire to address structural information gaps that inhibited social and environmental justice in Nigeria.

The Problem of Information Opacity in Mining

Nigeria’s mining sector is a cornerstone of the country’s economic diversification strategy, yet it remains shrouded in administrative complexity. The lack of accessible, user-friendly data creates a barrier for local communities—often the most impacted by mining activities—to advocate for their rights or understand the environmental consequences of extraction.

According to data from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), the sector is prone to issues regarding royalty payments, environmental compliance, and site-specific operational details. This opacity often leaves local leaders and indigenous populations in the dark regarding the legal status of mines operating on their land.

Adejuwon identified that the solution was not merely in the availability of data but in its interpretability. "Our solutions are built around four things: data simplicity, data readability, data understanding, and data usability," he explains. To address this, Urban Alert developed Minetrix AI, a conversational platform that synthesizes complex mining regulations, reports, and geological data into actionable information.

Minetrix AI: A Retrieval-First Approach

The development of Minetrix AI, which spanned nine months of intensive technical work, followed years of relationship-building with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, civil society organizations, and local community leaders.

Unlike general-purpose large language models (LLMs) that pull from the broader internet, Minetrix AI utilizes a "retrieval-first" design. The platform is restricted to a curated, trusted database of verified government documents and industry reports. This architecture is designed to mitigate the risks of "hallucinations" common in generative AI, ensuring that every response provided by the bot is backed by a citation to an official source.

Since its launch, the platform has recorded over 1,200 unique users, with a high retention rate of 25% to 35%. This usage pattern suggests a strong market demand for specialized knowledge in the extractive industries, particularly as interest in critical minerals like lithium and gold continues to climb globally.

Broader Impact and Industry Recognition

The work conducted by Urban Alert has not gone unnoticed by the domestic policy landscape. In 2024, the Osun State Government recognized the organization for its contributions to transparent governance and social justice. Furthermore, the organization’s work has been cited by advocacy groups such as BudgIT, which acknowledged Adejuwon’s efforts in climate change activism and environmental advocacy.

The implications of these civic tech tools extend beyond simple information retrieval. By equipping local communities with data regarding mining licenses and environmental impact assessments, Urban Alert empowers citizens to participate in local governance. This shift from passive observation to active engagement is essential for sustainable development in regions where extractive industries operate.

Privacy, Regulation, and the Future of Civic Tech

As an advocate for digital safety, Adejuwon remains vocal about the risks associated with data privacy in the age of AI. He argues that African nations must move beyond the mere enactment of regulations like the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) to prioritize active enforcement and local infrastructure.

"We cannot continue depending entirely on big corporations to build local solutions for us," Adejuwon notes. "We need to build our own solutions on our own terms of reference." This philosophy underscores his commitment to digital sovereignty, arguing that local developers have a better understanding of the specific socio-political nuances that global tech giants might overlook.

Furthermore, Adejuwon has signaled that his next focus involves ensuring that technology is inclusive, specifically for people with disabilities. He believes that the next wave of civic tech should not just be about data, but about universal design that ensures accessibility for all citizens, regardless of physical or sensory capabilities.

Looking Ahead: The "Who Is Mining" Initiative

Building on the success of Minetrix AI, Urban Alert is currently in the testing phase of "Who Is Mining," a platform designed to provide granular, location-based information on active mining sites. The goal is to demystify the presence of extractive activities in rural areas, enabling residents to identify operators and verify the legality of mining operations within their immediate vicinity.

The rise of such tools signals a broader trend in the Nigerian tech ecosystem: a move away from purely commercial fintech and logistics solutions toward public-interest technology. As more individuals and organizations take the initiative to build solutions for social and environmental problems, the potential for technology to act as a catalyst for governance reform in Africa grows exponentially.

For Adejuwon, the future of the field is characterized by flexibility and rapid iteration. "The technology ecosystem is not rigid," he observes. "If you are ancient in your mindset or you’re not flexible, you cannot keep up with technology." As he continues to scale his tools, the focus remains on the ultimate objective: using the power of digital information to give voice to the marginalized and provide clarity in a sector that has long thrived on silence.